FRAME 88 STORIES

To Be or Not To Be

My life was decided the day my parents saw those two red lines.They were not married. Both were busy in their careers. They had no plans to get married or have a child. My father wanted to ask my mom to marry him but he was scared she would say No as she had so many plans for her career. Then came Red lines. Dad proposed to mom and she said Yes. I am a month old and my parents fight every day. I wonder if I or their marriage was To be or Not to be.....

To Be or Not To Be

My life was decided the day my parents saw those two red lines.They were not married. Both were busy in their careers.They had no plans to get married or have a child. My father wanted to ask my mom to marry him but he was scared she would say No as she had so many plans for her career. Then came Red lines. Dad proposed mom and she said Yes . I am a month old and my parents fight everyday. I wonder if I or their marriage was To be or Not to be.... .

Positive?

She waded through the crowd as tears clouded her vision. She was searching for him. She needed him.
She found him standing alone in the sea of people celebrating the new yearâ€™s eve that was lost on the couple as they stood silent, watching each other breathe.
â€œIs it true?â€ he asked.
A mere formality, she had texted him.
He held the device as she showed him proof that she was indeed pregnant. Happiness didn't come.
The husband and wife were in tears. All they could think of was their stillborn baby girl, the one they lost last year..

Bleeding Love

As she pulled back the pregnancy stick from my grip, I noticed the smile that flowered on her withered face. The smile! This was what I wanted. I pressed her close to my heart. As I was kissing her hair, I felt her hot tears moist on my chest. The warmth of the tears reminded me of the last time I felt the warm thick blood flowing down her thighs. I remember the way she collapsed into the pool of blood crying, "I've bled out our love again." .

We did it!

The seconds stretched on and I could no longer hold the pregnancy stick steady. My husband gently took the other end of the stick and together we stared at it, willing it to show us two lines as the box promised to.
"God, please let it be two, please..." my voice echoed off the tiled walls of the bathroom. A squeeze on my hands made me open my eyes and my husband was looking at me with a 'We did it!' smile.
"Well, am pregnant. NOW, can I have some privacy?" shouted the surrogate mother of our child..

*CLICK* bait

She couldn't contain her excitement that morning. She woke up earlier than usual to get ready for the pregnancy announcement photoshoot. "Perfect overcast day for pictures," she thought, pulling down the drapes. She wore her new dress, a swipe of her favorite red lipstick and scrunched her hair. Staring at herself in the mirror gleefully smiling with happiness. Soon there was a lot of clicking, smiling and posing. "We're done with the shoot," she said. It was just another day, another pregnancy shoot, another wrap up and another instance that reminded her of her infertility. Placing the camera back in her bag she waved goodbye to the couple..

Beautiful Reality

This beautiful inside mind came as a breath of fresh air for us, something we so badly wanted to explore right now, all by ourselves, bit by bit. But somewhere deep down inside, the lady in me smirked in victory! It was there present in everything I owned. Like all tiny aspects of mine. And our reality could potentially be much more beautiful than all our dreams could ever be. And maybe this is when you fall irrevocably in love with the woman in you, with every small nuance, with the magic, with the fate, with everything that conspires to make this journey breathtaking..

HOPE

This is a story of a human couple who tried their best in every way to create something that's beyond their power. To create their own kind. They say humans are the most evolved species. They are far more intelligent than any other animals. But they have limits. I am one of the creations humans made to help them. They gave me the job to determine life. I have done that job correctly so far. Today I am happy that they succeeded after a long 16 years of sorrow. I am glad I gave them HOPE..

Awkward.

Tender string

From couple to be the parents, thank You for giving me the honour of being the mother. I am Glad that you have come out of the guilt which you kept in your heart when I had my miscarriage and the pain i went through, and agreed to my decision. It was never you, it was just the time which was cursed and took us so long . I know the fear of losing me is more than the love which you have for kids. But see this time I will make it happen..

The Unborn

She showed him the test results and ebulliently exclaimed, "I'm pregnant, honey!"
He kissed her and rambled in excitement with his eyes gleaming, "I'm going to raise him like my mother raised me. I'll teach him to be a tough man and to crush what's in his way. I'll teach him soccer and how to be glib around women. He will follow his father's footsteps, I will make him!"
"And what if the baby is a 'she'?" asked the expectant mother, silently swallowing her fear.
.

Visibility

The pill was their best friend. Love and love making was fine. But to bring someone into their dark world would be cruel. She had been blind since birth, he after a prolonged illness. Their voices had been each other's support for the longest time. And touch. They thrived on it. It conveyed love, passion and even anger so successfully. She had now missed a period. He insisted they do a pregnancy test. Now to wait for the maid to come by and tell them the result.....

The wait

To Runa, the craving to have a child of her own had grown into a physical ache. After years of trying to have a baby, she and Nit had eventually looked at options. Adoption. Surrogacy.
It had been a harrowing year of choices and decisions, emotions and technicalities, counselling and interviews. There were days that seemed sorted, others when life seemed unimaginably complicated.
It had all boiled down to this day, when they walked home after a meeting with their surrogate, taking home that stick of plastic as a keepsake, something tangible that held their indescribable excitement and anticipation..

Expectations

â€œAre you sure you did it right?â€
â€œNo Saurav, I donâ€™t know how to pee on a stick,â€ said Shreya in an agitated voice.
â€œThen why is it taking so long? Letâ€™s check it again.â€
â€œItâ€™s positive!â€ Shreya exclaimed.
â€œIâ€™ll talk to our Doctor tomorrow. Letâ€™s hope itâ€™s a Boy this time or else I will have pay for third abortion. My Parents should have asked yours to take care of all abortions in addition to your first delivery while doing dowry negotiations. Stupid People!â€
.

The Age factor

Her heart skipped a beat, a glum look spread across her face.
"Mother in law you too, at this age," Leena giggled but was good at hiding her displeasure.
They were one happy couple, in their sunset years. At an age where other women were busy singing their grandkids a lullaby, she was ready to conceive. At first she was stunned to see those two red lines appear across the pregnancy kit.
"Going bareback at this age," guffawed the nurse at the clinic.
Unaffected by all this, they were going strong..

It's Positive

"It's positive," she smiled, as his hand gripped the stick, and his eyes gripped her soul.
Her heart trembled deep within, and she knew his would be trembling too... Her courage faltered... What did fate have in store for them this time?
She had never had any problem conceiving... Three years, three pregnancies... and yet they were childless...
And here they stood again... wondering whether that pink line would finally mean something more this time...
Fear gnawed at their insides... Yet, they hoped...
Hope. Their only refuge; their only strength....

Nine months

Hrishi still remembered the day; his wife was sweating when his daughter broke the news that Ananya was pregnant. He remembered being furious, he remembered his daughter's fury and his wifeâ€™s silent tears. Among all that, he didnâ€™t know how the nine months flew by. Initially he was ashamed, a father at fifty seven! But now walking back home with his tiny bundle, his Ananya, he wished he had cherished those moments with his wife, he wouldâ€™ve if he had known that he would never see her after those nine months..

Master Puppeteer

Heatwave in the room was palpable as the marriage counsellor gave a patient hearing to both sides. The counsellor promised an amicable solution after nine months. When the couple showed up on the eventful day,Â the receptionist demanded the last installment of the fees and asked them to wait. "We have a prior appointment!" exploded the impatient wife. The receptionist returned the fire, "No you don't and your counsellor is out of town." Wife called the police while the suspicious husband burst into counsellor's chamber. Cunning counsellor asked the couple to calm down and said: "Amazing teamwork!"
.

Tale of two lines in fuchsia

My favorite color is black, it absorbs everything cynical about me. But these two lines in fuchsia made me happy. Mom's death during childbirth meant a lonely childhood. Dad took care of everything. But he too missed Mom. Dad says I look like Mom. We had no relatives; so her death left us both alone. This child will complete us; we shall once again be a Family - Baby, Dad & Me....

A PARALLEL STORY

â€œI am so happy,â€ he said, beaming, ecstatic... two parallel lines enjoined them. She was happy yet in a reverie. A long forgotten memory kept tugging at a corner of her heart, wilfully. She tried shaking it away, terrified, yet like a venomous snake, it kept raising its once-sleepy hood. Scenes from years ago flashed. A bioscope played, replayed. A dingy putrid bathroom in her hostel, dim lights, and another pair of parallel lines. A temerarious adolescent night and the resulting aftermath. She looked up at his questioning eyes and smilingly said, â€œCome let me tell you a storyâ€¦â€.

The wait

She couldnâ€™t do it anymore. The wait was agonizing. Itâ€™s been a year, she told him. As if he had no idea. Why arenâ€™t we getting there!!! She yelled. Calm down, he pleaded. Itâ€™s only been a year. They say these things take time. But she wasnâ€™t listening anymore. Letâ€™s go to the doctor. How about tomorrow, she asked. No, Iâ€™ve a meeting. Another day, okay?
He turned and walked out the door. How much longer before heâ€™d have to tell her the truth? He could never father a child. Never.
.

Lines of Happiness..

7 PM:
â€˜Hello babu, can you please come over to my place after office?â€™
â€˜Yes sure.â€™
8.30 PM:
16 Missed Calls.
â€˜Are you ok? What is wrong? I will reach in an hour.â€™ He slammed the phone.
10 PM:
Doorbell rang. I rushed. Opened the door. And I hugged him.
â€˜Is everything alright?â€™ he questioned.
I took him inside and showed the 2 pink lines on kit.
He wrapped me in his arms.
Silence was all around.
12.30 AM:
â€˜Letâ€™s get married,â€ he whispered and kissed me on my forehead..

It's positive!

The first pregnancy test she took showed a bright pink line and a faint pink line. Were we pregnant? We had never seen a positive pregnancy test before. The picture in the directions showed a bold second line, not one so faint you had to squint to see it. She took a second test: same results, same confusion. There was only one way to determine if this was a positive. I peed on the third test. We were disappointed to find a positive result. Later it turned out we were both carrying something â€“ she, our baby, me, the cancer..

Judge-d-mental

" Why can't we write for this frame?"
"It's not our area of expertise, I have no such experience and I mostly write my story."
" The real or the one in your head?"
"Both, sometimes I can't say which is what."
"Then write about that."
"But it's embarrassing, I faked it once with the guy I loved, desperate for attention. If I write that it'd mean I think too low."
"I didn't think anything. You did. It's your story to tell Payal. However you weave it. People will think what they want to.".

De love spell potential

"Kuhn! You have been very keen on our family ever since you arrived. I don't even know how this thing works. Could you read the manual for me please?"
"Let me see."
He allowed himself a smile.
It gave him a bolt-hole no foreign authority could penetrate. There would be no extradition from Brazil if he had an offspring by a Brazilian girl - even out of wedlock.
He liked to organise his plan to the last bit. No loose ends. He would wreak havoc in Europe, and if the Soviet didn't welcome him as promised, Klien would disappear..

The benefactor factor

"Rohan!
What is this I find in your shelf?"
Who is she?
She is a Christian, isn't she? Our community girls are not good enough for you is it!
I wonder where I went wrong in nurturing you.
If you liked her so much, you could have told us..."
"Ma! We are shooting an ad profile for an upcoming awareness event... She is from our own community, if you are interested. She doesn't seem to be.".

Guilt Strategy

He: Howâ€™s this possible? We were careful.
She: I donâ€™t know. I am equally surprised.
He: I know you are not cheating on me butâ€¦
She: (shooting daggers with her eyes)
He: OK OK Relax. I trust you. But ... (long pause), we should abort it. You know the situation.
She: (continues to shoot daggers and looks away into horizon)
She: (thinking to herself) â€œThanks hubby dear. I donâ€™t want this one either. My upcoming promotion will suffer and I canâ€™t afford that. But now, you will forever be in guilt and Iâ€™ll never let you forget it. .